Natural History - General & Miscellaneous, Natural Literature & History, Human Ecology, Environmental Activists & Organizations

Signals from the Heartland

Name: Signals from the Heartland
Author: Tony Fitzpatrick
ISBN: 9780802712608

by Tony Fitzpatrick

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Overview

Like ripples in a pond, changes in the American Midwest affect the entire nation and give us a preview of our future. On the front lines of observing those changes, a native son of America's Heartland here provides a profile of a region through his portraits of some unique heroes: midwestern naturalists, farmers, and scientists who are deeply involved in saving and restoring our environment. Tony Fitzpatrick limits his canvas to just two states, Illinois and Missouri, the very heart of the Heartland, birthplace of American heroes in the past and now a crucible of a new kind of hero. Signals from the Heartland explores midwestern ecosystems, urban and suburban sprawl, the changing American farm, shrinking wetlands, and hidden swamps of portentous significance. The author's guides in these journeys are real people working on real problems, and their voices are loud and clear. These are essential Americans who cherish the land - trying to rescue it (and us) in some innovative ways. Along the way you will meet noted environmentalists Peter Raven of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Robert Mohlenbrock of Illinois, among other fascinating, authentic environmentalists whose crucial work it is to decode the environment's "signals" - translating them into warnings we all must heed. This is a compelling Journey through forests and fields, linked by rivers and interstates, featuring many nuggets of our Heartland heritage.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

To Fitzpatrick, a science writer based in St. Louis, the heartland is Missouri and Illinois--an important ecosystem in trouble. He explores the region with naturalists, farmers and scientists who are actively involved with such environmental issues as water pollution, soil conservation, silting and the restoration of wetlands. Peter Raven, a biologist and director of the Missouri Botanic Garden, collects endangered plant species; Robert Mohlenbrock has developed a conservation plan for the cypress swamps of southern Illinois. Two other scientists are re-creating a tallgrass prairie; a farmer practices conservation tillage on his corn and soybean fields. Fitzpatrick tours the Tyson Research Center, a living biological laboratory in Missouri where songbird migration is monitored and wolves are raised to be returned to the wild. As reported here, the signals from this area of shrinking farms and wetland, which is marked by suburban sprawl and disrupted by interstates, are nevertheless encouraging. Photos. (Jan.)

Library Journal

This is a collection of thoughtful, well-researched essays sharing a common theme: the relationships between Americans and their natural environment. Each of the 12 chapters focuses on one or several presently active individuals and their own unique efforts to contribute to the improvement, understanding, and appreciation of our land and its contents. These environmentalists, professors, farmers and scientists live in Illinois or Missouri, although their interests may carry them far beyond their states' borders. These are two states that the author knows well, since he was born in Illinois and now lives and works in St. Louis. His book should find a wide range of readers and is recommended for academic, public, and high school libraries. It will also be of special interest to residents of Illinois, Missouri, and surrounding states.-- William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames

Booknews

Fitzpatrick provides a profile of "the heart of the Heartland"--Illinois and Missouri--through portraits of some Midwestern heroes: naturalists, farmers, and scientists who are deeply involved in saving and restoring the environment. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)